Iraq forces launch assault to retake Daesh-held areas near Hawija

Iraqi forces and Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) members hold a position as they advance towards the Islamic State (IS) group's stronghold of Hawija on September 30, 2017 to recapture the town from the jihadists. Iraqi forces on September 29 launched an assault on the northern town of Hawija, one of the last bastions in the country still held by the Islamic State group, which is also under attack in neighbouring Syria. (AFP)

BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces on Monday launched an attack against jihadist-held areas southeast of the Daesh group’s bastion of Hawija, the operations commander said.
Government forces and the Hashed Al-Shaabi, an alliance mostly of Shiite militias, are fighting to retake the northern town of Hawija after expelling Daesh from large parts of the territory they seized in Iraq in 2014.
“The Counter-Terrorism Service and Hashed Al-Shaabi have started a broad operation to liberate Rashad and nearby villages as part of the second phase to liberate Hawija,” Lt. Gen. Abdel Amir Yarallah said.
The Hashed Al-Shaabi confirmed the offensive and said it had retaken five villages west of Rashad, which is 35 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Hawija.
On September 21, Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition launched an offensive to retake a jihadist enclave around Hawija, swiftly taking the town of Sharqat on its second day before pushing on toward Hawija itself.
On Friday, they started the battle to retake the town itself, one of the last Daesh bastions in the country along with a stretch of the Euphrates Valley near the border with Syria.